News

Ryan Newman takes to the Fastenal Chevrolet

May 27, 2009

HELLO NEWMAN – Ryan Newman makes his JR Motorsports debut this weekend at Dover in the No. 5 Fastenal Chevrolet. This is the first of four races that Newman will compete for JR Motorsports. His remaining events include Chicagoland Speedway (7/10), Bristol Motor Speedway (8/21) and Kansas Speedway (10/3). The No. 5 Fastenal Chevy will be off for the next two races at Nashville and Kentucky, before returning to action at the Milwaukee Mile with Scott Wimmer.

FINDING SUCCESS IN NATIONWIDE – Newman holds seven wins and 12 poles in the Nationwide Series in only 42 starts. Six of his victories came during a stellar 2005 season, in which he scored eight top-fives in nine starts and led nearly half of his completed laps (800 of 1,658 laps). He owns 15 career top-five and 24 top-10 finishes.

NEWMAN AT DOVER –Newman’s statistics at “The Monster Mile” prove he’s not intimidated by the one-mile concrete oval. In his two Nationwide Series starts there, he has earned one victory and two poles. His average start is a perfect 1.0, with an average finish of 11th. “Rocket Man” has a driver rating of 150.0 and is ranked first in that category over the past four races at Dover. His most recent start was in the fall of 2005.

DOMINATING THE MONSTER - Newman led all but seven laps (193 of 200, or 96.5%) to score his 2005 Dover victory. His total laps led in his two Dover starts are 334.

THE FLYIN’ NUMBER FIVE – The JR Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet has only two finishes outside the top 10 in its seven starts in 2009. Through those seven races, the team has an average finish of 9.4.

CHASSIS INFO – The No. 5 Fastenal team will run chassis 382. It was last driven to a ninth-place finish at Darlington Raceway.

IN SEARCH FOR REAL FANS: The online contest announced by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Brad Keselowski at Daytona in February continues, as Hellmann’s has teamed up with NASCAR to find the biggest, most loyal fans with the Hellmann’s NASCAR Real Fan of the Year contest. Fans can enter for a chance to receive a VIP trip for two to Charlotte, N.C. to meet Earnhardt Jr., and finalists will see their faces on the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet during the October Nationwide Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Julia Hiles was selected as the contest’s first finalist in February, but there are still six more spots on the car! For more details, log on to www.RealFanOfTheYear.com.

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NEWMAN (on joining JR Motorsports for the first time) - “Running in the Nationwide Series this weekend with JR Motorsports is something that I have been looking forward to since we announced it a couple of months ago. They have put together a really good team over there with the No. 5 Fastenal Chevrolet, and I’m confident that we have a good shot at the pole and a solid finish.”

NEWMAN (on what it takes to win at a tough track like Dover) - “Dover has always been one of my favorite race tracks. I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of success there over the years. It’s a physically demanding track, so by the end of the day you have had quite a work out. For me, Dover is a really fun track to drive. But there’s a reason it’s called ‘The Monster Mile.’ The track is really unique – you drop off into the corners and then climb up the hills onto the straightaways. Because of that, the entry into the corners is the toughest part. If you don’t get a good entry, you’re not going to have a good middle or a good exit.”

NEWMAN (on working with JRM teammate Brad Keselowski) - “I’m really looking forward to being teamed up with Brad this weekend. Brad is a tough competitor week in and week out – and we have seen that in both the Nationwide and in the Sprint Cup Series this season. I think Brad has done a phenomenal job since he got the opportunity with JR Motorsports. And his win at Talladega in the Cup Series was extremely impressive – and I had a front row seat for that. I’m glad that Brad is doing well, and I think he’s a good guy. I think Brad and I will have fun working together for the few races that I will have with JR Motorsports.”